The Mexican Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Julio Berdegué, declared in response to his U.S. counterpart, Brooke Rollins, that Mexico will not be subordinated to warnings about the importation of Mexican livestock due to the pest of the boring worm. Berdegué stated that he has responded promptly to Rollins' letter, but did not reveal the content of his response.
"As our president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has said, we act with a cool head, we collaborate, we cooperate, but we never subordinate ourselves," the official posted on his social networks. The United States had suspended and then resumed the importation of Mexican livestock in November and February respectively, due to the presence of the boring worm, which caused the death of a woman in Chiapas two weeks ago.
In light of the current situation, the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States urged Mexico to allow the unrestricted use of Department of Agriculture planes to combat the worms and exempted the equipment responsible for eradication from customs duties. If these issues are not resolved by April 30, the importation of live cattle from Mexico will be restricted as a protective measure for the U.S. agricultural industry.
These trade tensions between the United States and Mexico emerge in a context where Mexico has increased its cattle exports by 37.8% in the 2023-2024 cycle, reaching 1.3 million heads, according to the National Service of Health, Safety and Agro-Food Quality (Senasica). Additionally, Mexico already faces tariffs of 25% on products such as steel, aluminum, cars, and others outside the trade agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada (USMCA).
Julio Berdegué ended his message expressing confidence in the prompt resolution of these agreements.
